Review: Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews (Hidden Legacy #1)

From Goodreads – Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

———-

Burn for Me is amazing. Simply amazing. OMG it was so SO good!!!

*whispers to self* Julie, breath. Just breath…

Burn for Me is the first book in a shiny new series by my favorite writing duo, Ilona Andrews. The Hidden Legacy series is described as a paranormal romance series but it’s not really. Well, maybe sort of. It’s paranormal romance à la Cat and Bones, meaning it’s more urban fantasy with a romance at the center. But the romance is not a wham bam thank you ma’am, so you don’t have to worry about that.
But as if Ilona Andrews would ever make such a writing faux pas.

Ok. Focus. (thisbookwasjustsoawesomeitshardtofocus!!!)

Burn for Me tells the story of Nevada, a private investigator, and her latest case. It’s a case she is pretty much forced to take but if she had a choice, she would not accept it because it is way out of her league. She is asked to apprehend Adam Pierce, a man who happens to be able to set things on fire with a thought. And this man, well he’s a little crazy and full of himself which makes him all the more dangerous.

Connor ‘Mad’ Rogan is after the same guy but for slightly different reasons. After meeting Nevada and finding out that they have the same agenda, he decides he should use her to find Adam. At least, that’s how it starts out. Mad is just as, if not more, powerful as Adam. He too can destroy things with a thought, only he won’t set it on fire, he’ll flatten it. So, as you can imagine, Nevada would like to avoid Mad Rogan at all costs.

Nevada is awesome. She is smart and strong, incredibly loyal to her family (who are all a hoot to read, each and every one of them) and to her morals.

Mad is also awesome. He is so powerful, it’s like he’s lost a bit of his humanity. He’s used to people being intimidated by him, even scared of him. Watching him try to ineract with Nevada and her family are some of my favorite scenes in the book. Nevada has a strong head on her shoulders and won’t just jump into a situation ‘just because’ and this too throws Mad off a bit. I loved watching them interact. I loved their dialogue. I just loved them.

The world is a world based on magic but it is nowhere near the same type as you find in Ilona’s Kate Daniels books. I feel this is important to say: this is not a ‘new spin’ on Kate Daniels. Just as their The Edge books are nowhere like the Kate books, the Hidden Legacy books aren’t either. Yes, there is magic, but Ilona and Gordon manage to put yet another imaginative and unique spin on it. The magic bearers are the powers in this world. The stronger your magic and more influence you have. But also, stronger your magic the more dangerous and unpredictable you are. Mad Rogan is a powerful powerful man, but signs show so is Nevada.

I LOVED how Nevada’s powers are presented in this book. We know she can sense when someone is lying, but other than that, not much. But it is heavily hinted that there is more to her ability and that she is in fact much stronger than she realizes. You do see signs of this as the book progresses but not all is revealed. This is something else I am looking forward to discovering as they series continues.

One of my favorite things about the characters Ilona and Gordon write is how they don’t ever put them in a gender or social class mould. In this story, Nevada’s mother is ex-military and grandma is a mechanic…for tanks! How cool is that?! I have always appreciated that about this team’s writing and we see it once again in this latest book. I find it gives the characters yet another layer and makes them even more fascinating.

As I hinted at before, this book is not a straight up romance but it is definitely building to one. And the romance it’s building to promises to be phenomenal. There is already incredible chemistry between Mad and Nevada and I can’t wait to watch their relationship progress throughout this series.

I want to say that yes, this is my favorite author and yes, I love all that they write. But it’s not because I am hypnotized by my adoration for them. It’s because they are kick ass authors who write phenomenal stories, incredible worlds and highly memorable characters. So my love of Burn for Me is not blind – it’s legit. It exists because this book is outstanding and worth reading.

Burn for Me is out today. Go buy it. NOW. You will not regret it.

5 stars

Giggle worthy quotes –

“‘I’m a product of calculated selective breeding,’ Mad Rogan said. ‘I was conceived because it would be good for my House to have an heir and because my parent’ genes ticked the right set of boxes. You were probably conceived because your parents loved each other.’
‘According to our mother,’ Bern said, ‘he was conceived because she was too wasted to remember a rubber.’
Mad Rogan stopped chewing.
‘I was conceived because my mother skipped bail. Her boyfriend at the time threatened to call the cops on her, so she had to do something to keep him from doing it,’ Bern said helpfully.
Awesome. Just the right kind of information to share.
—–
‘”So instead of talking to me, asking for my credentials, or doing any of those things a normal person would do, you decided to assault me and chain me in your basement?’
He shrugged, a slow deliberate movement. ‘It seemed like the most expedient way to obtain the information. And let’s be honest. you weren’t exactly harmed. I even took you home.’
‘You dumped me on my doorstep. According to my mother, I looked hald fead.’
‘Your mother exaggerates. A third dead at most.’
I stared at him. Wow. Just wow.

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I'm Julie and this blog is all about Romance and Urban Fantasy Book Reviews, Author Interviews, Guest Posts, Slices of Life and Silly Stuff Too!

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Rating System

I loved, loved, loved this book! I will definitely read it again and recommend it to anyone who will listen!
5 stars with extra lovin'! Not only am I going to re-read this book and recommended it often, but I will most likely cuddle with it a little too!
I loved this book. I will most likely pick it up again someday.
I truly enjoyed this book while I was reading it, but I don't see myself reading it again.
I was disappointed with this book. It was only okay and I skimmed through a few parts.
I really want to find the person who suggested this book and ask them why they thought reading it would be a valuable way to spend my ME time!